1. Of the group generally, it is said that a
couple lived at Pulotu called Head of Day and Tail
of Day. They had four children—­(1)
Ua, or Rain; (2) Fan, Long grass;(3)
Langi, Heavens; (and 4) Tala, or Story.
The four went to visit Papatea. Pulotu is in the
west, Papatea in the east. The Papateans heard
of the arrival of the four brothers and determined
to kill them. First, Ua was struck on the neck;
and hence the word taua, or beat the neck, as
the word for war. This was the beginning of wars.
Others stood on the neck of Fan, and hence the proverb
in war: “To-morrow we shall tread on the
neck of Fan.” Others surrounded and spat
on Langi, and hence the proverb for ill-usage, or
rudely passing before chiefs: “It is spitting
on Langi.” Tala was spared, and escaped
uninjured.

Tala and Langi returned to Pulotu and told about their
ill-usage. Then Elo, the king of Pulotu, was
enraged, and prepared to go and fight the Papateans.
This was the first war in history. They went,
they fought, they conquered, and made a clean sweep
of Papatea; and hence the proverb: “Like
the rage of Elo.” Also for a village destroyed
in battle they say: “Ua faa Papateaina”—­made
to be like Papatea.

All who fled to the bush were sought and killed, only
those who fled to sea escaped. A man called Tutu
and his wife Ila reached the island of Tutuila, and
named it so by the union of their names. U and
Polu reached Upolu, and hence the name of that island
by uniting their names. Sa and Vaila reached
Savaii, united their names also, and, for the sake
of euphony, or, as they call euphony “lifting
it easily,” made it Savaii instead of Savaila.

Elo and his warriors went back to Pulotu. Langi
and Tala after a time came to Samoa, but went round
by way of Papatea,[3] and from them also the people
of Manono and Apolima are said to have sprung.

2 MANU’A.—­This name embraces three
islands at the east end of the Samoan group.
Manu’a means wounded. As the story
runs, the rocks and the earth married, and had a child,
which, when born, was covered with wounds;
and hence the name of the said small group of three
islands.

The story of Lu figures here again. He had a
son who was named Moa, after his preserve fowls, and
this Moa became king of Manu’a. From that
time fowls were no longer called Moa on Manu’a,
but Manu lele, or winged creatures, out of
respect to the name of the king.

Fitiaumua, or Fiji the foremost, is also mixed
up with Manu’a history. He was said to
have come from the east, was a great warrior, conquered
at Fiji, and in his lust for conquest came to Samoa.
He subdued all the leeward islands of the group, reached
Manu’a, and there he dwelt. All Samoa took
tribute to him, and hence the place was called the
Great Manu’a.